Set Fire to the Rain
by RainbowGummyBears
Summary: Lea Du Pres' life has been a web of lies. Her mother never told her the truth about her father... but she has secrets of her own. Rated T. Reviews!
1. Prologue

Prologue

_I wish Leo were here._

That was the only thing running through Greenlee's head as she hyperventilated and screamed in pain.

"Push, Greenlee!" Dr. Hudson said.

"It HURTS!" Greenlee cried.

"I know, sweetheart, you can do it!" Greenlee's old friend Jake Martin said, Bianca standing beside him… Greenlee was glad to have friends supporting her through this… although Bianca was Leo's best friend…

God, Greenlee wished he were there.

"The baby's head is crowning… here come the shoulders…" Dr. Hudson said. Greenlee was still screaming, that was how bad it hurt.

Then, Greenlee heard crying.

A baby crying.

"It's a girl." The doctor said happily.

"Is she okay?" Greenlee asked nervously, as it had been a difficult pregnancy, but mainly because of her depression.

Dr. Hudson laughed.

"She's just fine. We're just going to clean her up a bit."

The doctors took the small child to clean her off as she wailed. They wrapped her up in a blanket and brought her over to her mother. She placed the girl in Greenlee's arms as she cried.

"She's gorgeous…" Bianca whispered.

"She's screaming." Jake cracked.

"Shh… it's okay, sweetie… Mommy's here…" Greenlee soothed the little girl cradled in her arms, who's crying had died down as Greenlee swayed her back and forth gently.

"So does this little girl have a name, or will we just be calling her Baby Girl Smythe?"

"Lea." Greenlee said. "Lea Bianca Du Pres."


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey everybody! So here's chapter. Now, Lea is about 16 years old, and this story is told from her point of view. She considers Emma and Spike her brother and sister, as she's grown up with them. Greenlee is married to Ryan. Please review!**

**-Emma :)**

I sat on the foot of my bed, scribbling in my notebook. I stopped for a second and fingered the slowly fading scars on my wrist. I thought about the way I felt when I made them… angry, depressed, and hurt.

But somehow the pain felt… good.

I hadn't done that in quite a while… but I didn't miss it either.

My mom was at work at Fusion, my step-dad was with my brother Spike, and my sister Emma was out shopping with her friends, so… I was at home by myself.

I was still subconsciously fingering the scars on my wrist when my phone vibrated.

_Probably __AJ,_I thought. But, it wasn't him.

Aunt Kendall.

I opened the message.

Hey Lea, I have a whole bunch of Fusion samples and some cookies... girls' day?

I smiled. I love hanging out with Aunt Kendall, but we hadn't done that in a while. She was always one of the first people I could confide in, other than AJ, who was my best friend.

_I__'__m __so __in_. I typed. _Ryan __and __Mom __aren__'__t __here,__and __neither __are __Emma __and __Spike.__What __time __you __want __me?_

I pulled on my favorite pair of skinny jeans and long black Uggs. I threw on my soft gray V-neck t-shirt.

My phone went off again as I walked down the stairs.

_Now is good. I have some movies, too. And, um, when did you start calling Ryan "Ryan?"_

I sighed.

I was hoping she hadn't noticed that.

The week before, I got in a few minutes late on Saturday night. Ryan was the one who caught me (mom wouldn't have cared) because Mom was out of town on business.

"Where've you been?" He said when I walked in.

I looked at the clock.

11:34

4 minutes after my weekend curfew.

"I was out with AJ and Emma."

"You're late. Where's Emma?"

I frowned. "She's with her mom. You knew that."

" I just wanted to make sure YOU knew, Lea."

"Seriously? I'm four minutes late! We got stuck in traffic. Annie drove us home."

"I was worried. You're usually early."

"You know something? You're not my dad!'

We were both shocked when I said that, seeing as I NEVER played that card. My dad had died before I was born. Leo Du Pres. My mom told me he was killed in a car accident.

"You have no right to act like you're my dad! But you always do!"

I was storming up the stairs.

"Well, who else do you have?" Ryan shouted at me.

I screamed out of anger and stormed to my room.

_I'll tell you later. Be right over._

I called a cab and headed for Aunt Kendall's.

The cab pulled up and I gave the guy $10 for the short drive and thanked him.

I knocked on the door as Uncle Zach, Aunt Kendall's husband, was leaving for work.

"Hey!" He kissed the top of my head as he walked past me towards his car.

"…Bye." I laughed as I walked in. Aunt Kendall stood up and hugged me.

"Hi!" she said. "It's been a while since we've gotten to hang out."

I took off my coat. " I know! Now, on to the serious questions: What kind of cookies did you make me?"

She laughed. "Chocolate chip."

I grinned. "My favorite."

"I know." She said as we sat down on my couch. She popped in our go-to girls' day movie _The__Good__Girl,_which is always followed by _Something__Borrowed._

Aunt Kendall pulled out a bag of make up… Fusion samples.

As my mom's business partner, she got samples too. And I adored samples since I was little. It was always fun when your mom got free samples of the number one make up in the country that everyone wore.

"I have your favorite!" Aunt Kendall pulled out a bottle of my favorite black nail polish, Midnight Magic.

My nails were chipping, and we couldn't have that, now could we? Ryan and Aunt Kendall always said I was my mother's daughter. So, I happily took the bottle.

"So, when did you start calling Ryan… well… Ryan?" She said as she bit into a cookie.

"We had a fight, and I was mad and I told him he acts like he's my real dad, but he's not."

"You know he cares about you a lot, right? He loves you. You're like a daughter to him."

"I love him too." I sighed. "But he's trying to b my dad. And he isn't."

"Lea, he's only trying to help you, seeing as your real father is…" Aunt Kendall's voice trailed off.

"Dead." I finished.

"You look just like him." Aunt Kendall said, focusing on my face.

"My mom says that all the time." I fingered the medallion around my neck. My mom had given it to me a while ago, and she said it belonged to my dad. I hadn't taken it off since.

As I held onto my necklace, Aunt Kendall saw something else.

"What's that on your wrists?"

I glanced at my wrists.

The scars.

I forgot my concealer.

"N-nothing!" I said, putting my wrists down quickly.

"Lea that's s0mething."

She reached for my wrist but I pulled it away.

"I said that it's nothing."

She caught my wrists and looked down at them. Her eyes got wide as she released my arms.

"L-Lea… did you c-cut yourself?" She struggled with the words.

I looked down. "Yes…" I whispered.

AJ was the only person that knew.

"Why?" She tried to look my in the eye.

"Last year, there were people bothering me at school, making fun of me and stuff… because I was a 'geek' and they didn't like the way I looked. Remember when I dyed my hair black and I was wearing all that make up and stuff? Well, it got to the point where I started… yeah. Then, I realized that I wasn't helping anyone… and I stopped. And now I'm back to the way I was… but with some scars."

"What made you stop?"

I didn't want to tell her it was AJ…

I really didn't, because no one knew about that either.

See, AJ and I had been best friends since we were little kids. And one day, when we were 15, he noticed a change in me. I was depressed and not really talking to anyone… and then he saw my scars. He asked why I did it and I told him.

"Everyone hates me."

He inched closer to me.

"Lea let me tell you something. And you need to listen. I don't hate you."

And he kissed me.

That night I dyed my hair back to my natural brown, threw out all of my makeup and stopped making scars on my wrist… all because of one thing…

I was in love with my best friend.

"You can tell me." Aunt Kendall said.

"…AJ." I told her.

She smiled at me. "I knew it."

I let out a short laugh.

Then, she got serious again. "Does Greenlee know?"

I shook my head. Aunt Kendall sighed.

I looked at her and pleaded with my eyes. "Please don't tell her!"

Aunt Kendall hugged me around the shoulders. "I won't."

And I hugged her back, thankful for someone like Aunt Kendall being in my life.

Then, we ate some cookies and played around with the samples as we watched our movie.

"OOO! This is my favorite part!" I laughed.

Then Aunt Kendall's phone rang.

"Its your mom." She answered it. "It's okay, Greenlee. I've kidnapped your daughter to spend the day with m-? What? Greenlee, slow down. Okay, come over now. I'll see you in a little bit."

"What was that all about?" I asked, concerned.

"You're mom's coming over. Something happened."

**Reviews! Thanks for reading! The next chapter should be up soon.**

**-Emma :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Thanks for your reviews! And to everyone who noticed this, let's all disregard the fact the AJ and Lea are kind of second-and-a-half cousins… I've been thinking about it all day, then I checked my reviews and I got called out on it, so thanks! And, seriously… forget it. XD Please review!**

**-Emma**

My mom pulled up and came into Aunt Kendall's house.

I stood up immediately. "Mom—what happened?"

She hugged me around the shoulders.

I was absolutely lost.

"Mom, please, what happened?"

She released me. She held onto my shoulders.

"Lea, sweetheart, I left my keys in the car… can you go get them for me?"

I frowned out of anger. Mom was never like that. She was cool… she never treated me like a little kid.

"I'm sixteen, Mom. You can't just send me out of a room anymore."

My mom sighed, and Aunt Kendall kept glancing back and forth between her and I.

"So, I guess I have something to tell you."

I had no idea what was going on. I was as confused as a drunken guy in the grocery store.

Did something happen with Ryan?

Was someone hurt?

…

Was someone dead?

"What's going on?" I demanded.

Mom wouldn't look at me, which told me something was up.

"T-they found your father's body."

"What? My father died in a car accident! They found his body 16 years ago."

Mom was crying. Mom never cried.

"N-no… he didn't. Your father f-fell over Miller Falls when I was about 2 months pregnant with you. He was wrestling a gun out of his mother's, Vanessa, hands because she was trying to kill me… and they went over together."

No… that wasn't right… that would mean… no…

I shot up from my seat on the couch.

"You've been lying tome? For all these years? Every time I asked about my father, you MADE UP how he died! That's just… how could you be so cruel?" I screamed.

I hated my mother in that moment, whether she had a good explanation for lying to me my entire life or not.

"Lea, I was protecting you!" My mom said, actually looking at me this time.

What a load of crap.

I didn't want to hear that.

I felt so many things in that moment… anger, sadness, and one thing I hadn't felt in such a long time… pure, unadulterated hatred.

"From knowing the truth about my father? Mother, that's just cruel. I've grown up believing my father died in some random car accident… and he fell over a waterfall! How could you do this to me?"

I ran outside, cursing my mother out under my breath. I'd forgotten my jacket inside and it was freezing out.

I ran to my mom's car as they came outside after me. Turns out, as usual, she had left her keys in the ignition. I drove off, watching them call my name.

By the time I'd driven all the way out to Miller Falls, it was about 5:30, and the police had just cleared out after their investigation.

I walked up to the top of the falls and sat down, my arms wrapped around my knees. I was freezing cold, listening to the rushing water below me… thinking of the way it claimed my father on that night all those years ago.

My mother had lied to me my entire life.

But now I understood why.

Vanessa had tried to kill my mother… while she was pregnant with me.

I could've been claimed there, too.

My phone kept ringing, and I was starting to get annoyed with it… so annoyed in fact that I smashed my phone up against a rock.

I held onto the medallion around my neck and cried.

I wished more than anything that my father were there, holding me… telling me everything was going to be okay… telling me not to cry.

I thought about the picture of him I kept on my nightstand… the picture I said "Good morning" and "Goodnight" to everyday. I thought about the way he looked, his handsome features, his hair that my mom said always stuck up in some place all the time.

I regretted never getting to know him… even if it wasn't my fault.

And my mother… God, I was mad at her.

I hated her.

I never wanted to see her again…

But, I knew I had to.

I rubbed my arms and shivered.

Then, there were footsteps behind me and I winced, fearing that I was about to meet my fate head on too… I don't know, something about that place always scared me… but being there… it made me feel closer to my dad.

"Hey." I heard a familiar voice say.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

AJ sat down next to me on the rocks.

" You scared the hell out of me." I wiped my eyes. "How'd you know I was here?"

"Kind of guessed. Mom told me what happened… your mom called her since she and your dad were best friends."

"Mom" in this case was Bianca. She was my mom's cousin, AJ's step-mom and my dad's best friend. I don't know why… but I called her Aunt Bianca, just because it seemed fit. She was like another mom to me, just like Aunt Kendall.

AJ called Bianca "Mom."

Bianca was his step-mom and he loved her like she was his real mom.

At least SHE didn't try to replace his mother, but partly because she didn't have to.

I sighed and shivered. AJ looked over at me.

"You cold?" He asked, concerned about my well-being. It was adorable that he cared.

"A little bit." I said.

He took off his jacket and put it around my shoulders and rubbed my arms as I cuddled up to him, staring down at the rushing water.

"I'm better now."

He laughed and we sat there for a while, listening to the water.

I broke our silence, bringing up something I knew only he would understand.

"I wonder what my dad was thinking about… you know, when he went over."

AJ whispered in my ear.

"I'll bet my life that he was thinking about how awful it was going to be to never get to know someone as amazing as you."

I couldn't take it.

I kissed him, my hand on his neck. He placed his hands on the back of my head and deepened the kiss.

I loved him. I knew it. I wanted to tell him, in the second. But kissing him felt so good.

When the kiss was over, we sat there with our eyes closed. HE breathed the words I'd waited so long to hear.

"I love you."

I was ready to cry again.

"I love you, too." I whispered.

We stood up and were abut to walk down to the cars when something happened.

I slipped on some ice… and went over.

I fell onto a ledge and hit my head on a rock.

"LEA!" AJ screamed.

I was breathing heavily, thinking I was going to die, especially when I saw the blood coming out of my head..

I saw someone I'd never seen up close before:

My father.

"Hey there, baby."

And it was black.

**DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUUN. Well there you have it. I'll try my best to update tomorrow, because I have to write the epilogue for Almost Perfect, a Glee story I've been working on for a few weeks. Please review! And ideas are always appreciated! Thanks so much!**

**-Emma :)**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey everybody! OFFSCREEN PLOT TWIST! Babe took a paternity test before she died, and it proved that David is NOT her father… which means that AJ and Lea are NOT related. HAHA! _*jumps__up__onto__a__table__and__dances__like__Chandler__on__ "__Friends.__"__*_ Thank you, _dimmingsoul_, for giving me that idea. Please review!**

**-Emma :)**

"Dad?" I whispered. "What are you doing here? Y-you're dead… at least… I thought you were."

My dad laughed. "Don't worry about that, baby, I'm long gone… God, look at you… you look just like me."

I allowed myself to laugh.

"Everybody says that."

I thought about all the things that happened that my father missed… all the things we never got to experience together.

I summoned up the courage to ask him for something I'd dreamt of my entire life.

"C-can I hug you?" I asked, looking up at my father.

He laughed again and hugged me. I cried into his chest and he kissed the top of my head.

"I missed you." He said to me.

He let go of me and I finally noticed where we were.

We were sitting on the edge of the water at the bottom of Miller Falls.

He felt the water with his left hand and then rested it back on his leg.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"What were you thinking about… right before you…?" My voice trailed off.

"Died? You… your mom… how cold the water was."

He laughed again and so did I. He put his arm around me.

"So… AJ Chandler… nice."

I cracked up.

"He seems like a pretty nice kid."

"He's the best."

We sat there for a moment in silence.

I needed to bring something up… I needed his help.

"Mom lied to me… about how you died."

My dad sighed.

"I know… but she was doing it for a reason… you could've died that night, too… never having seen the world."

I was crying again.

"She could've told me. I would've understood…"

"You know… you're a lot like you're mother. You're stubborn as hell; you want what you want when you want it. You're beautiful."

I was sobbing.

"I've been watching over you since the day you were born, and let me just say, you are growing up to be an amazing young woman."

I hugged him again.

"I love you, Daddy." I said into his chest, my voice muffled.

"I love you too, baby girl…"

And, then… the worst possible thing happened.

I woke up.

My eyes fluttered open. The first thing I heard was, "Oh my God, you're awake… oh thank God."

I turned to see AJ who I hadn't even realized was holding my hand.

He looked like he'd been crying for a long time, his face red and his eyes a little puffy, but he grinned that boyish grin all the same.

I looked around the room. I saw beeping monitors next to me. My arm was hooked up to an IV and there was a cast on my arm that AJ wasn't holding. Dr. Cara Castillo, my uncle David's wife, was in the room holding one of those doctor clipboards that I didn't know the name of.

She looked over at me and smiled.

"Hi honey! You're awake! How are you feeling? Pain? Numbness?"

My head was killing me and my arm was as well…

"Um… I'm… fine." I lied. "How long was I out?"

AJ cleared his throat. "36 hours… give or talk a few minutes."

"How did I get here?"

Cara looked at AJ and then me.

"You slipped on some ice and fell over Miller Falls. Thank God you landed on a ledge and hit your head and broke your arm. You have a sever concussion and your arm is broken pretty badly. AJ came down to save you… or you could've died."

I looked over at AJ, who shrugged. I smiled lovingly at him.

And then I looked back over at Cara.

"Do you know where my mom is?"

"She actually left to go get coffee about a minute or two before you woke up."

"She never left your side… not once."

I still didn't want to see her… but I guess I had to… so she'd know I was okay at least.

"Cou-could you get her for me?" I looked over at Cara.

"Sure!" She said and left the room with that.

AJ squeezed my hand. I sighed at looked over at him.

"AJ…" I whispered.

He leaned over at me and kissed my lips, his hand on my cheek. I smiled slightly into the kiss and so did he.

I pulled away and put my non-broken hand on his chest.

"I love you, AJ… thank you… so much." I was crying.

He kissed my forehead. "I'll always be there to catch you… since I couldn't this time." He looked like he was crying again.

I squeezed his hand.

"AJ, don't you dare act like me falling was your fault. I wasn't paying attention, and I slipped." I gripped his hand with my non-crippled one.

I kissed him again and that's when I saw someone I didn't really want to see:

My mother.

"Oh, thank God you're alright."

I pulled away from AJ and looked at my mother tearfully.

AJ took our looks as a sign that he needed to leave and mouthed, "I love you." and left the room.

My mom sat down in the chair next to my bed.

"I'm so sorry…" she whispered. I wasn't ready to acknowledge her.

"I did it for your own safety… I didn't want you to know because… you may not have ever lived had Vanessa got her way that night…"

I sighed. "I know… I get that… but, Mom, I would've understood…"

She was crying too. "When they told me what happened to you, I was sobbing… thinking that I could lose you… the same way I lost… Leo." She choked on his name.

Losing my dad must've been pretty damn hard on her…

"You can't go back there."

Okay, so this is the cleaner version of what I said.

"Mom, you lied to me for SIXTEEN FREAKING YEARS and you're sitting here asking me to not go to the ONE damn place that makes me feel close to my father? You can NOT do this to me."

She wouldn't look at me.

"I'm your mother, and you'll do what I say when I say it."

"No, Mom, I won't. You can't make me do anything. I want you to go."

"But-!"

"Mom, just get the hell out… please." I choked on the work "Please."

My mom stood up, choked back a sob, and left.

I sat there, staring at the wall on the other side of the room…

What had I done?

**I know, I know, crappy ending, but I have to get to the most insane thing I have ever written in the next chapter… so I needed to do this. Sorry about that. Let me know what you thought! Please review!**

**-Emma :)**


	5. Chapter 4

More and more people started the visit me… but there were few that I'd let in.

Emma and Spike were worried about me, so I allowed them to come in. They, after all, were like my brother and sister, since I had none biological. They brought me lilies (my favorite) and chocolates with caramel in the middle (also my favorites.) I knew I always liked them.

Cara was there, partly because she was my doctor.

Aunt Kendall, Uncle Zach and Ian were allowed in, seeing as they hadn't pissed me off.

Aunt Bianca, Marissa, Miranda and Gabby came, too.

And, of course, AJ barely left my side.

There were a whole lot more people that came.

The reporters… God, the flashing gave me quite the headache (haha, get it? You know… because I had a concussion? Well, forget it.)

They all wanted to be the first to report the story of the girl who'd "miraculously survived a fall from Miller Falls." There were certainly a hell of a lot of them… but they were not getting in.

Ryan wanted to come in and check on me… but he had a snowball's chance in hell.

And my mom… God, I was really pissed. I refused to let her in. Apparently, she wasn't eating or sleeping… and that made me feel a little guilty…

She still didn't have a chance in hell.

One night, towards the end of my stay, since they were still nursing my concussion and making sure I didn't have any brain damage, my uncle David and his 6-year-old daughter Lucy came to visit me.

"Lea!" Little Lucy was very excited to see me. She was absolutely adorable. Her black curls flopped around as she ran over and climbed up onto the chair next to my bed.

I laughed sleepily. I had just woken up, since my medicine for my head made me insanely tired.

Uncle David laughed too.

"Hey!" I said to Lucy, who was wearing the brightest smile on her face that I had ever seen.

"Hi, Lea… gosh, you don't look so good."

Now, normally, this was something that I would take offense to. But, I loved that child, I really truly did. And she was too damn enthusiastic and adorable not to laugh at or smile at.

"Well, sweetheart, I look worse than I feel." I giggled and she did too.

"I drew you a picture." She said as she pulled out a colorful picture. There were two people in it: a girl with long dark brown hair and brown eyes, and a little girl with long black curls.

It was she and I.

"Aw, honey, that's adorable!" I kissed her forehead and she smiled proudly.

Then, Cara, her mother, walked into my room, and (as always) armed with her clipboard.

"Mommy!"

The little girl sprinted over to her mother and hugged her around the legs.

"Hi, sweetie." She looked over at Uncle David, who had just sat down in the chair next to me.

"Um… let's go see what Uncle Griff is up to." Taking the hint that he wanted to speak to me alone, she took her daughter's hand and smiled at me.

"I'll see you guys later."

"Bye, Lea! Bye, Daddy!"

And they were gone with that.

Uncle David laughed at his daughter.

"Your daughter is very intelligent."

He smiled. Uncle David smiled a lot more now than he ever had really.… and he had good reason, but after a second, he frowned again.

"How are you feeling?"

"Eh, I've been better." I laughed.

"What did they say the damage from your fall ended up being?"

"Broken arm, broken wrist, dislocated shoulder, severe concussion, and slight brain damage… but not a lot… you know, just a couple of dead brain cells… nothing more."

"Then, I guess you should be out pretty soon."

"I hope so." I sighed. "I want to get out of this freaking hellhole. I've never felt more confided or detained in my life."

Uncle David laughed a little bit. "I know how you feel."

We sat there in an almost awkward silence for a little while until I broke it.

"Uncle David?"

"Yes?"

"What was… my dad like?" It was almost difficult for me to ask… but they were brothers. He'd actually be able to tell me something.

He studied my bruised face.

"I figured you'd ask me that at one point or another. Lea, your father was the greatest man I've ever had the privilege to know… he was kind to everyone, smart, and incredibly compassionate. He loved life and very much loved your mother. After your mother got pregnant, he told me how ecstatic he was to be a father, since he'd never really had one. And, he said to me that if anything happened to him that I needed to look out for you and Greenlee until someone else could… and that someone else in this situation ended up being Ryan Lavery…"

Uncle David had never really been a big Ryan Lavery fan… understandably.

I let everything he had said about my father sink in for a moment.

"Can I tell you something?"

"Anything."

"I-I… after I hit my head… I-I saw my dad."

I hadn't told anyone… not AJ… not Aunt Kendall… not my mother.

But Uncle David would understand…

…

At least… I hoped so.

He looked at me and sighed.

"I guessed something like that happened."

"We were at Miller Falls… and he told me about falling… and-and what he thought about…"

My voice trailed off… the picture started to get blurrier in my head… it was fading… the one interaction I'd ever had with my father, whether it had been a dream or medically induced or whatever the hell it was… it was almost gone.

And I was angry… really truly angry.

Uncle David got the message from the expression on my face.

"You don't remember it very clearly, do you?"

I felt a tear run down my face…

And they weren't stopping.

"The one… the one interaction I'll ever have with my father, whether it was real or not… and I don't remember."

I started breathing heavily… but that slowed after a second and I started crying again.

"I-I want to be alone… if that-that's okay with you."

Uncle David rose and squeezed my hand.

"Whenever you need me…"

But I was crying too hard, so I didn't answer him, and he was gone.

I sat there and cried in silently. I rubbed my head and thought about how badly I wanted to see my dad… how badly I missed him… how badly I needed him.

I pulled the IV drip out of my arm, threw the ugly hospital sheets off of my legs and stood.

I was a little dizzy from my medication, but I needed to get out…

Now.

I found the clothes I'd worn on the day of my fall draped over a chair and pulled them on as quickly as I could.

I saw a pair of maroon scrubs out the corner of my eye. I knew I'd have to be in disguise to get out of the hospital… so I threw them on too.

And I ran out of my room.

It took me a few minutes, but I got out to the parking lot, still a little delirious.

Somehow, I managed to find my way to a car.

It was a black Camry… my mom's black Camry.

I guess she'd been at the hospital all day… hoping I'd let her in to see me.

But she knew that wasn't going to happen.

The doors, as always, were unlocked and the keys were in the ignition.

God, I really must've messed my mother up.

I got in the car, turned it one, and drove out of the parking lot… not sure where the hell I could've possibly been going…

Or whether or not I was going to get there alive.

**MWAHAHAHA! CLIFFHANGER! So, I'm hoping to get the next chapter up pretty soon, but I would LOVE to hear your feedback! Please review! They make me want to write more, and to my loyal readers and reviewers (wink wink, shout out! You know who you are!) thank you SO much for all your support and feedback.**

**Please keep it up!**

**-Emma :)**


	6. Chapter 5

I wasn't seeing straight… and I knew it too.

But I didn't plan on doing anything about it.

I turned on the radio and blasted it, just as an attempt to clear my jumbled and crazy head. Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain" pounded in my ears. I was driving a hell of lot faster than I should've been… and I didn't give a crap.

I saw a liquor store on the side of the road. I promptly pulled over. I'd gone to a party once and I'd gotten pretty wasted… thank God for AJ, seeing as he'd covered for me and made sure I didn't get myself killed on the way home.

He's saved my life on more than one occasion, now that I think about it…

And I didn't say goodbye to him.

When I got out of the car, I stumbled.

There was this pretty damn shady looking guy sitting on the ground outside.

"Hey, kid!" He hissed.

Looking at him, I realized that they weren't going to sell me anything inside.

He pulled out a little bottle of whiskey.

"I sell it way cheaper than inside." His voice sounded like that of a smoker.

"How much?"

I kept my distance.

"Fifteen."

I stumbled back over to the car and pulled a couple bucks out of the glove compartment. I threw them at the dude, who handed me the bottle.

I mumbled a thank you and got back into the car.

I started it up and sped out.

"Lose Yourself" by Eminem was blasting.

And I _had_ lost myself.

But I didn't want to focus on that.

I just drove.

I opened the bottle of whiskey and took a swig. I felt the alcohol burn the back of my throat.

I pounded my fist against the steering wheel as I cried.

"WHY?"

I screamed angrily and slammed my hand on the steering wheel.

Why my father?

Why not me?

I took another swig.

Then, I reached my new forbidden place:

Miller Falls.

I swerved in, the world almost looking sideways to me.

I got out of the car, holding my whiskey, a pack of matches, and my mother's pack of emergency cigarettes.

My throat was burning and I sat down on the cold ground.

I remembered something… you're not supposed to drink when you're on as much medication as I was…

Once again, didn't give a crap.

I think that was the reason why I did it.

"Stupid Miller Falls."

I muttered curses, stomping my left foot on the ground with everything I had.

"Damn Vanessa Cortlandt."

I took another swig of that whiskey.

"Why would you lie to me, Mom?"

I was angry, drunk, and delirious.

I cried, sobbed, and slammed my foot into the ground.

I hated Miller Falls.

I hated Vanessa Cortlandt.

I hated my mother.

I hated my life.

After taking one final swig of the very disgusting whiskey, I threw the bottle at the car.

It shattered, pieces of glass flying everywhere.

I sobbed.

I screamed.

The dark sky opened up, and it started to pour.

"Great!"

I screamed at the sky.

"Thanks, God! Thanks for giving me this life! Thanks for taking my freaking father away from me!"

I stood up and almost fell back onto the ground.

I stumbled over to the car and kicked the tire, killing my toes.

Then, I sat on the hood of the car and let out a sob. I hadn't even realized that it was caught in the back of my throat.

I slammed my fist on the car, and I grunted and screamed again.

Never once in my life had I been angrier.

I punched the windshield.

I lit a match.

There had never been a time when I had been so violent.

There had never been a time when I had hated life so much.

There had never been a time when I wanted to see my father so badly.

There had never been a time where I really, truly wanted to die…

Until that night.

That was the worst night of my life.

But… it was also a very important night.

It was the night I stole by mom's car… for the second time in a 2 weeks.

It was the night I bought whiskey from and incredibly shady man.

It was the night I missed my father more than I ever thought possible.

It was the night I wanted to die.

And it was the night I set a car on fire.

**Reviews!**

**-Emma**


	7. Chapter 6

I opened the door to the car and threw the lit match in.

I stumbled slightly back over to where I had been sitting before.

And I watched the car go up in flames.

I thought about how if I waited long enough, the gas would blow, too… and it would take me along with it…

Which was all part of the plan.

I silently started saying my goodbyes.

I said goodbye to AJ… telling him in my head that I loved him… thanking him for saving my ass on more than one occasion… and that I'd see him on the other side.

I said goodbye to Aunt Kendall, and I thanked her for everything she'd ever done for me, all the secrets she kept, all the times that she sat down and cried with me, all the times she was there for me.

I said goodbye to Lucy, Cara, Uncle David, Uncle Zach, Ian, Gabby, Miranda, Spike, Emma, Aunt Binx, Marissa… even Ryan.

I said goodbye to my mother… almost cursing her in my head, but then I changed my mind.

I thanked her for being the best mother she ever could be.

I thanked her for lying to me when she knew I wouldn't understand.

I thanked her for never being cold to me like some mothers were to their teenage daughters.

I thanked her for loving me.

I watched the car as it was being consumed in the flames.

I braced myself for the explosion.

'I'll see you soon, Daddy."

Then, out of nowhere, another car swerved in.

AJ got out, and my mother soon followed suit.

"Lea!" She shrieked as she started towards me.

"NO! Stay away from me!" I screamed at them.

AJ ran at me and put his arms around me. I struggled.

"Baby, please! We-we have to get you out of here. We have to get you back to the hospital.

"No!" I screamed. "I have to stay here! I want to see my daddy! Please!"

AJ turned to my mother.

"Get back in the car!"

She opened her mouth as if to protest but followed AJ's instructions and got back into the car.

AJ grabbed me by the shoulders and tried to look me in the eyes.

"You can't stay here."

"No, AJ." I wept.

"Please, I can't lose you!" He was crying, too.

I looked over at the car…

And I knew…

The car was about to explode.

"AJ, you need to go."

"I'm not leaving without you!"

"No, AJ, I'm being serious! The car!"

"Yes! The car is on fire! We need to get you out of here!"

"No! AJ! The car is about to explo-!"

AJ suddenly threw himself onto me and we ended up on the ground 10 feet away…

Then, it happened.

The car exploded.

The pieces flew everywhere and AJ sheltered me in his arms.

I watched as pieces of my mother's car were scattered all over the place, some now ashes, others large hunks of flaming metal.

I looked up at AJ for half a second and then buried my faces in his chest.

I wept.

He stroked me soaked hair and kissed the top of my head.

"It's okay…" He whispered… but I could tell that he was crying too.

Being in AJ's arms was helping a little bit…

But I felt myself getting more and more lightheaded by the second.

And I saw a light.

And then I saw my dad.

Then, it was black.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw that I was sitting at the top of Miller Falls, once again, next to my father.

"Hey." I whispered, too afraid to look at him. He was probably ashamed of me, I mean, I stole a car, I got wasted, I committed arson… God, what the hell was wrong with me?

He looked over at me and saw that I was crying.

"Hey," He put his arm around me. "What's wrong?"

I sniffed.

"You should hate me."

He kissed the top of my head.

"I could never hate you."

"Are you kidding? I blew my mother's car up, and I almost got myself and a lot of other people killed."

He sat there for a moment and laughed a little.

"I thought that was all pretty badass."

I looked up at him and started cracking up.

He laughed along with me, and then, when we stopped, I looked at him again, studying his handsome face, his big eyes, his nose, everything that I never really saw…

"How is it that you possibly know what to say to make me feel better?"

My dad smiled.

"You're my kid, aren't you?"

"Well… yeah… but it seems like in this town, you never really know."

I winked and he nudged me as we snickered.

"You know, you really are your mother's daughter."

"Once again, everyone says that."

"NO, really. Your mom was a badass too, you know, back in the day."

"She's still pretty badass."

"Well…"

And we laughed again.

"You know, you remind me of Bianca too… she set her mother's house on fire once."

"NO WAY."

"Way!"

"Wow… Pine Valley's pretty damn cool."

"If you had it any better, you'd be in Heaven."

…

That comment created an awkward silence.

"Well, you know, I kind of wanted to be there…"

"Well, it's pretty nice up there but I'll just tell you this… there's a lot of reasons why you want to die. But, there's double the amount of reasons that you want to live."

"Wow… that was deep."

And we laughed again.

He kissed the top of my head again.

"I love you, Lea."

"I love you, Dad."

And he hugged me.

I was crying again.

"Dad?"

"When will I get to see you again?"

My dad laughed again.

"Whenever you want."

And I hugged my dad as tightly as I could.

Then, at the worst time… I woke up.

**Thanks for reading! I'm going to include a concluding chapter and an epilogue after this one. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! The final 2 chapters should be up soon. Thanks again and please review!**

**-Emma :)**


	8. Chapter 8

I woke up in the hospital once again...

But, I was alone.

I looked around and sighed. I didn't clearly remember how exactly I got there...

And then my mother walked in.

Her cheeks were blotchy and her eyes were puffy. She sat down next to my bed.

I turned me head to look at her.

"Mom," I whispered, tears in my eyes.

"Hi..."

"How'd I get here?"

"You snuck out of the hospital and stole my car, you got drunk and set it on fire. You were unconscious for about two days because of the alcohol medication mix."

My mother sighed. I was crying silently.

"Oh my God...Mom...I'm so sorry."

"This is all my fault," she whispered, looking at her hands folded in her lap.

"No it isn't. This is my fault."

She stood up.

"I lied to you! I didn't have to! But I did!" she shouted. Right when she finished, she put her hand on her mouth, which hung slightly open.

"I don't know what came over me."

She sat down again.

"You have the right to yell at me. You should be kicking me out of the house! You should hate me, cut me off, and kick me out!"

My mom's cheeks were stained with tears, some fresh and some dried.

"I would never do that."

"But you should!"

"You're my daughter...my only daughter. I pushed you to your limit. So, this is not your fault."

I sighed.

"I didn't have to be angry at you...it was better the way it was before."

I sighed again.

"You know, we're never going to be the same again..."

Mom was still crying.

"I know...I'm sorry." She held my hand.

I squeezed her's.

"Don't be."

And she hugged me around my neck. I hugged her with my right arm because the other was in a sling.

I cried into my mother's shoulder and she cried into mine.

After a minute or so, we broke apart. We sat in silence for a second.

"So...I bet Cara was pissed."

My mom cracked up.

Speak of the devil...

"Hi Cara."

She looked at me for a second. She looked a little mad.

"So how'd you manage to escape?" she smiled at me.

"The scrubs on the chair." I grinned. She laughed.

"I thought so."

We all laughed.

"So when can I get the hell out of here LEGALLY?"

Cara laughed again.

"Tomorrow morning."

"Thank God!" I groaned.

"Meanwhile," My mom stood up, smiling for the first time in week., "There's some people here to visit you.

Ryan, Emma, Spike, Aunt Kendall, Uncle Zach, Ian, Gabby, Miranda, Aunt Binx, Marissa, Uncle David, Lucy, and Aj all walked into my room, grinning.

"Is it my birthday?" I cracked.

Aj ran up to me and crashed his lips into mine, his hand on the back of my hand. I reciprocated, and I smiled into it as our makeshift crazy "family" of sorts cheered.

When we broke apart, our foreheads rested on each other.

When I caught my breath, I breathed," Did you save me?"

"Eh, kinda," he shrugged. I giggled.

I kissed him again.

"I'll take that as a 'thank you'." Aj joked.

"You should."

And we laughed.

Then everyone hugged us. It was a very large group hug...and I hated group hugs, as they are lame. But, I let this one go.

After a second, someone said something that made me laugh again;

"This is weird."

Lucy said it, her face on my arm, so it was a little muffled.

Unlike a few nights before, that...it was one of the best nights of my life.

**So I'm going to write an epilogue, because I feel like it ;) Thanks so much for reading! Please review!**

**-Emma :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Aj squeezed my hand.

"You sure you wanna do this?"

I smiled at him.

"Absolutely."

Then, my mom burst through the door...

Late as usual.

"I'm here! Did I miss it?"

I laughed at her.

"Mom, if it had already happened, do you think I'd still be here?"

She looked around.

The tattoo parlor was kind of...scary. There was screamo blasting on the radio. There were pictures of the different tattoos that one could get...some cutesy, like flowers and bunnies, some hard, like barbed wire and flames, and some explicit and disgusting, like...well...

You get the POINT.

But I didn't want any of those.

Then a tall, skinny lady with a bandana and tight pair of black jeans, a tight black Marilyn Manson t-shirt, and tall black combat boots came out from behind the curtain that acted as a door to the other room.

"Hey, shorty, you're up."

I stood, and (because AJ would not let go of my hand) he stood up too.

I think, while he always says he wasn't scared at all, he was kinda freaked out by the place.

I walked into the room with Mom and AJ following closely.

I sat in the chair and pulled the right sleeve of my navy blue shirt, revealing my forearm and ever-fading scars on my wrist.

That was then.

This was now.

And I had changed...

Certainly for the better.

The woman came over and sat on the stool next to my chair. She nodded to me and popped her bubblegum.

"How old are ya, kid?"

"16."

She nodded to my mom.

"You her mom?"

My mom smiled at me and nodded.

"Yes. And she has my ful permission.

The lady scoffed.

"That doesn't happen very often."

"Can we get on with this?" AJ blurted.

I giggled.

"Somebody's a little freaked out."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes you are," I snickered.

"Okay. Let's get on with this." The lady picked up the needle.

"Alright..."

I braced myself for the stinging on my forearm.

"What are we getting here, kid?"

I leaned over and whispered in the lady's ear.

She smiled...not a creepy, scary smile...but a sweet, almost caring-looking smile...

But I think that was scarier than a creepy smile.

She rubbed my arm with some stuff and turned on her needle.

I grabbed AJ's hand. His eyes were closed, as if he didn't want to watch...

She put the needle to my skin, and it stung. But. I wasn't going to scream, because that would show pain and fear.

And I wasn't scared.

Not at all.

I watched as my tattoo was taking shape on my arm.

I looked over at my mother, who was wincing, almost like it hurt more for her than it hurt for me.

After a few minutes, the lady stopped.

"Well, kid...there ya have it." 

I looked down at my stinging arm, and it was actually a little red around the edges.

But it was perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

It was just what I waned.

I ran my finger along the words now permanently etched into my arm.

My mom leaned to look at it. Her hand went up to her mouth.

"Do you like it?" I ask nervously.

She nodded, tears in her eyes.

AJ looked over.

"That looks really good!"

I grinned.

I fingered my forearm again, feeling the tears well up in my eyes.

The words, swirly, cursive, and colored black, read:

"Love You Forever, Daddy"

Well, that's all folks. I'd like to thank everyone who suppoted me and supported Lea, too. Special thanks to Half Angel Half Evil, dimmingsoul, CasieOl, and Julie Chandler. Please review. Thank you all for everything.

For one last time...

-Emma :,)


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